--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In Cuba, our experiment is not the best…" description: "\"In Cuba, our experiment is not the best democracy and should not be a reference to anybody elses, it is ours. It has worked for us and the clearest evi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/alejandro-castro-espin-12304_century_in-cuba-our-experiment-is-not-the-best-d_227813.jpg" --- # In Cuba, our experiment is not the best democracy and… ![“In Cuba, our experiment is not the best democracy and should not be a reference to anybody elses, it is ours. It has worked for us and the clearest evidence that our democracy has worked is that there is a revolution that has continued after a half century of facing down the most powerful empire…” quote by Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/alejandro-castro-espin-12304_century_in-cuba-our-experiment-is-not-the-best-d_227813.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/alejandro-castro-espin-12304_century_in-cuba-our-experiment-is-not-the-best-d_227813.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/alejandro-castro-espin-12304_century_in-cuba-our-experiment-is-not-the-best-d_227813.jpg) > “In Cuba, our experiment is not the best democracy and should not be a reference to anybody elses, it is ours. It has worked for us and the clearest evidence that our democracy has worked is that there is a revolution that has continued after a half century of facing down the most powerful empire. This has not happened many times in history.” [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cuba's unique democratic experiment, despite flaws, has sustained a long-term revolution against a dominant empire, a rare historical achievement. **In simple terms:** Cuba's democracy is distinct and resilient. Key Takeaway Recognize diverse democratic models. Themes politics revolution history Mood inspirational reflective Type philosophical historical When to use this quote - policy analysis - educational curricula - international relations - grassroots activism Key Concepts democratic theory imperialism Questions to Reflect On - What lessons can other nations learn from Cuba's experience? - How does history shape democratic resilience? A Different Perspective Its success may be context-specific and not universally replicable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cuba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cuba/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Empires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empires/) [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) ## Related quotes > [Before we get too depressed about the state of our politics, let's remember our history … Many forms of Government have been tried, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/before-we-get-too-depressed-about-the-state-of-our-politics-let-s/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [One faith, one law and one standard of justice did not mean democracy. The heresy of democracy has since then worked havoc in church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-j-rushdoony/one-faith-one-law-and-one-standard-of-justice-did-not-mean-democracy/) [R.J. Rushdoony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-j-rushdoony/) > [Nowhere has democracy ever worked well without a great measure of local self-government, providing a school of political training for the people at large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/nowhere-has-democracy-ever-worked-well-without-a-great-measure-of/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [In our band, we had such an interesting democracy, and it worked really well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-wilson/in-our-band-we-had-such-an-interesting-democracy-and-it-worked-really/) [Nancy Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-wilson/) > [My notion of democracy is that under it the weakest shall have the same opportunities as the strongest... no country in the world today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/my-notion-of-democracy-is-that-under-it-the-weakest-shall-have-the-2/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [ Cuba has not accepted the domain and imposition of an empire that has wanted to dominate us for over half a century \[America\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/cuba-has-not-accepted-the-domain-and-imposition-of-an-empire-that-has/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [What worker or peasant can pay 80 - 90 million dollars to elect a senator or 4 billion to elect a president? Only great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/what-worker-or-peasant-can-pay-80-90-million-dollars-to-elect-a/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [After a half-century of hard work and reflection the wall is still there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/after-a-half-century-of-hard-work-and-reflection-the-wall-is-still/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [There is some evidence that average wave heights are slowly rising, and that freak waves of eighty or ninety feet are becoming more common.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/there-is-some-evidence-that-average-wave-heights-are-slowly-rising/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [Me stash box never empty. The fifty dollar bag we call that half century. Me start me own herb documentary. Bermy man a call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/collie-buddz/me-stash-box-never-empty-the-fifty-dollar-bag-we-call-that-half/) [Collie Buddz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/collie-buddz/) > [Every advance in this half-century-Social Security, civil rights, Medicare, aid to education, one after another-came with the support and leadership of American Labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/every-advance-in-this-half-century-social-security-civil-rights/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Over the last half century the television interview has given us some of TV's most heart-stopping and memorable moments. On the surface it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frost/over-the-last-half-century-the-television-interview-has-given-us-some/) [David Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frost/) > [“Dr. Urbino caught the parrot around the neck with a triumphant sigh: ça y est. But he released him immediately because the ladder slipped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/dr-urbino-caught-the-parrot-around-the-neck-with-a-triumphant-sigh-a/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [When Estonia reestablished its sovereignty after a half century of successive thuggish, totalitarian, foreign occupations by the Soviets, the Nazis, and then again the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/when-estonia-reestablished-its-sovereignty-after-a-half-century-of/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [The wisdom of our actions in the first three years of peace will determine the course of world history for half a century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/the-wisdom-of-our-actions-in-the-first-three-years-of-peace-will/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) ## More by Alejandro Castro Espin > [There is us living the Cuban experience that we believe is ours. We do not believe that it is perfect, but it has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/there-is-us-living-the-cuban-experience-that-we-believe-is-ours-we-do/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [Communism is an aspiration, an aspiration is an ideal, a dream, a longing of something that would be perfect, but hard to build because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/communism-is-an-aspiration-an-aspiration-is-an-ideal-a-dream-a/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [Cubans are a people who suffered from capitalism in the cruelest way, in the social order, the economic order and the political order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/cubans-are-a-people-who-suffered-from-capitalism-in-the-cruelest-way/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [True medicine is to defend human life in any circumstances and not for political reasons or for reasons of any other kind, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/true-medicine-is-to-defend-human-life-in-any-circumstances-and-not/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [Today China is a first world economy, in terms of development. The U.S. may still be in first in GDP but it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/today-china-is-a-first-world-economy-in-terms-of-development-the-u-s/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [Let's not use the term democracy as a play on words which is what people commonly do, using human rights as a pretext. Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/let-s-not-use-the-term-democracy-as-a-play-on-words-which-is-what/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Nicaragua have shown that by breaking with the unfair order imposed by the neoliberal adjustment policies, promoted by Washington and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/venezuela-ecuador-bolivia-and-nicaragua-have-shown-that-by-breaking/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [America did not need to be discovered because quite simply America had the American-Indians. There were whole groups of people that already lived there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/america-did-not-need-to-be-discovered-because-quite-simply-america/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [In Cuba, despite having lived through the most difficult times, there has never been a neo liberal adjustment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/in-cuba-despite-having-lived-through-the-most-difficult-times-there/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [The American people have on many occasions been willing to shed their own blood for a noble cause, like when hundreds of thousands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/the-american-people-have-on-many-occasions-been-willing-to-shed-their/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador lived through times of cruel and ruthless capitalism where the workers, the masses of the population, saw themselves living in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/venezuela-bolivia-and-ecuador-lived-through-times-of-cruel-and/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [It is only through popular consultation and exchange with the people about social and economic policies that we were going to define the strategic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/it-is-only-through-popular-consultation-and-exchange-with-the-people/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [As you know Cuba has progressed a lot regarding all the indicators of social development and those rates can be compared favorably with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/as-you-know-cuba-has-progressed-a-lot-regarding-all-the-indicators-of/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [In Cuba we had the most ferocious form of capitalism for 60 years. It dominated every sphere of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/in-cuba-we-had-the-most-ferocious-form-of-capitalism-for-60-years-it/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [How do we explain for example the Ebola epidemic in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea Conakry? Those very powers that swindled and occupied them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/how-do-we-explain-for-example-the-ebola-epidemic-in-liberia-sierra/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) [Explore all 55 Alejandro Castro Espin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) ## More Century quotes > [I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-always-that-i-am-an-outsider-a-stranger-in-this-century-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The poetry from the eighteenth century was prose; the prose from the seventeenth century was poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/the-poetry-from-the-eighteenth-century-was-prose-the-prose-from-the/) [David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [At no time in the past century has public distrust of the government been so broadly distributed across the political spectrum, as it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-zimmermann/at-no-time-in-the-past-century-has-public-distrust-of-the-government/) [Phil Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-zimmermann/) > [While husbands and lovers in the stories are of all kinds, ranging from sympathetic to disgusting, women are invariably deceivers: inconstant, unscrupulous, quarrelsome, querulous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/while-husbands-and-lovers-in-the-stories-are-of-all-kinds-ranging/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [The young people today are the 21st century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/the-young-people-today-are-the-21st-century/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) > [The wisdom of our actions in the first three years of peace will determine the course of world history for half a century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/the-wisdom-of-our-actions-in-the-first-three-years-of-peace-will/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) > [For me, the melancholy of the late XXth Century is walking late at night by the Mont Blanc pen store and seeing these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/for-me-the-melancholy-of-the-late-xxth-century-is-walking-late-at/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [In a general way, the literature of the twentieth century is essentially psychological; and psychology consists of describing states of the soul by displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-a-general-way-the-literature-of-the-twentieth-century-is/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Consequently, citizen legislators, rotating back to their communities after a short period of public service—considered an indispensable and routine characteristic and design of representative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/consequently-citizen-legislators-rotating-back-to-their-communities/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 5,406 Century quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In Cuba, our experiment is not the best democracy and should not be a reference to anybody elses, it is ours. 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